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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 13 ,2 01 8 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Advertising Director Bill Ford bford@metroland.com Sales Lead Michelle Stevens ext. 795062 Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow ext. 795066 Zach Peters ext. 795068 Jan Bodanka ext. 795072 Regional Editor Mike Wilson Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 630 Riverbend Dr. Kitchener, ON N2B 2G1 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-579-2029 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA EDITORIAL Roman Orlov came to Canada from Ukraine last fall with dreams of studying psychology. But instead, the 18- year-old Richmond Hill resident has spent most of the past year battling cancer - and Ontario's health insurance bu- reaucracy. Permanent residents of Canada (like Orlov) shouldn't have to wait three months until they are covered. Delaying treatment for them only means we'll pay more down the road. And, in the meantime, the health care bureaucracy should have more power to grant exemptions from the three-month rule. Right now, it has almost none. Orlov's ordeal cries out for compassion. A month after he arrived in Canada, he fell ill with cancer. By last spring, after doctors had removed a kidney, a rare cancer called Ewing's sarcoma had spread throughout his abdomen. Doctors waived their fees and the community raised money to help, but without OHIP coverage the family strug- gled to pay the mounting medical costs of chemotherapy and other treatment. So medical care was kept to a mini- mum. Pavel Kozakevich, Orlov's stepfather, submitted perma- nent residency applications for his wife and stepson in February and applied for OHIP as soon as they passed the first stage of their application on June 13. Although they knew Orlov had to wait three months - until Sept. 13 - to get health insurance coverage, the family decided to ask OHIP and then the Health Services Appeal and Review Board to reduce or waive the waiting time. But their request was rejected by OHIP and the review board, as both say the law gives them no power to make exemptions on the basis of compassion or financial hard- ship. Neither Health Minister Christine Elliott nor Premier Doug Ford has that authority either, according to a health ministry spokesperson. It's estimated that as many as 500,000 people in Ontario are without OHIP coverage due to their immigration status. And it makes sense for most newcomers to Ontario, or Canadians returning after an extended absence, to wait three months before they can access publicly funded med- ical care. It's also reasonable for people moving to Ontario from other parts of Canada to be covered, but their home prov- inces are billed until they have been here for three months. But Orlov's case raises two problems with this long- standing policy. The 80,000 new permanent residents who arrive in Onta- rio annually - mostly economic and sponsored family im- migrants - are a relatively small, committed and rigorously tested group of newcomers who tend to be in good health. Why make them wait? Delaying access to public health care for the few who get sick makes little sense since we all pay the higher cost of addressing untreated illness once the three-month waiting period is over. The second issue is with Ontario's health care system. If nobody has the power to act, it seems heartless - as well as financially wasteful - for OHIP and the Health Services Appeal and Review Board to even hear cases like Orlov's. The government should address both problems. Since there are relatively few new permanent residents, and their demand on the medical system is likely to be modest due to their general good health, it makes sense to exempt this group from the three-month OHIP waiting period. It costs us more in the end to delay treatment for the few who may get sick. LIFT HEALTH-CARE WAIT PERIOD FOR NEW PERMANENT RESIDENTS I get it, municipal politics can be boring. Myself, I've sat through hours of meetings where councillors have debated se- mantics over issues that just plain don't matter to the gen- eral public. For example, re- cently at regional council, councillors debated wheth- er candidates should be al- lowed one, two or three me- tres between signs. After about an hour, they deter- mined that it would be one metre. With that said, municipal politics are important. Whether at the city or re- gional level, these munici- palities have the power to change your everyday life. Garbage collection, urban design, police conduct, traf- fic and road construction fall under the umbrella of municipal politics. Odds are, at some point over the last four years, you've com- plained about one of those is- sues. Some of the bigger, more complex issues aren't going to be seen right away. Some of the zoning and design de- cisions made in this term and the next won't be seen for another 30, 40 years. But it's the councillors and may- ors we elect today that will dictate that future. We're not asking that you sit through the hours of meetings or even watch it at home. We'll take care of that. All we're asking is that for the next month or so, you be- come engaged. Learn more about your candidates and communicate with them. Tell them your priorities. Af- ter all, your ward councillor is being elected to represent you as a citizen of this city. This doesn't end on Oct. 22, either. Through the next four years, I encourage you to communicate with your ward councillor often. Tell them what's on your mind. They may be just one vote on council, but as we've often seen at the municipal level, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. While we're on this topic, it's appropriate to commend all of those who have stepped forward to put their name on the ballot. In Waterloo, 26 people have put their names forward for the six ward councillor seats, as well as mayor. In Kitchener, 41 have put their names forward for the 10 ward councillor seats, as well as the coveted mayor- al position. The majority of these candidates will be unsuc- cessful in their run for of- fice, but that's a good thing. The more choice for you, the citizens, the better. Election day is Oct. 22. Adam Jackson is a re- porter with the Waterloo Chronicle and can be reached at ajackson@water- loochronicle.ca. ELECTION 2018: NOW IS THE TIME TO GET ENGAGED WITH THE ELECTION COMING UP QUICKLY, IT'S TIME TO GET TO KNOW YOUR CANDIDATES, SAYS ADAM JACKSON ADAM JACKSON Column